Sánchez condemns ICE detention of immigrants at Los Angeles federal building

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) issued the following statement in response to reports that hundreds of immigrants were being detained while attending routine check-ins with Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles:

“This is yet another cruel and deliberate act by the Trump administration in its ongoing campaign to dehumanize immigrants. Detaining individuals, some U.S. citizens, for appearing at their immigration hearings – doing exactly what the system demands of them – is a betrayal of justice.

“Immigrants are constantly told: ‘Follow the rules, do things the right way and you’ll be given an opportunity.’ But now, families who are following the rules are being ambushed, handcuffed and locked away in the basement of a federal building.

“They’re not being punished for breaking the law, but for trusting it. These inhumane actions by ICE upend our centuries-old due process protections and destroy the integrity of our immigration system.”

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